Tarantino and Pitt: The long-awaited love affair

With Quentin Tarantino’s recent disclosure that Brad Pitt "pulled out a brick of hash" for the pair to smoke during a meeting about Tarantino’s new film "Inglourious Basterds," the two movie icons could today be mistaken for old roomies. However, in an interview with CNN, the charismatic director of “Pulp Fiction” and “Reservoir Dogs” insists that the well-anticipated union was a long time in the making.

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Coach Richards banned for faking blood injury

Former England forward and Harlequins director of rugby Dean Richards has been banned from coaching for three years for his part in masterminding a fake blood injury to one of his players. The 46-year-old was hit with disciplinary action after a hearing by an independent European Rugby Cup (ERC) panel found he had “organized the fabrication of a blood injury” on wing Tom Williams during a European Cup quarterfinal match against Leinster. With his side trailing by one point Williams, under instructions from Richards, faked a cut in his mouth with a capsule of fake blood, thereby allowing goal-kicker Nick Evans to return to the field of play.

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New swine flu cases double to 100,000 in UK

There were 100,000 new cases of swine flu in England last week, nearly double the number from the previous seven days, authorities announced Friday. Children 14 or younger were those predominantly affected, with those older than 65 showing much lower rates, the Department of Health said in its weekly swine flu update.

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Former South Korean leader, Nobel winner on respirator

A former South Korea president who won the Nobel Peace Prize for fostering better relations between North and South Korea has been placed on a respirator in a hospital, a news agency reported Thursday. Kim Dae-jung “became short of breath on Wednesday night and was put on a respirator around 3 a.m.

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Manchester City to unveil $40M signing Tevez

Big-spending English Premier League club Manchester City will unveil the much-anticipated signing of Argentina international Carlos Tevez on Tuesday afternoon. City revealed on Monday night that the striker has agreed a five-year contract and would complete his move from bitter rivals Manchester United after passing a medical.

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Reality TV stars Jon and Kate are divorcing

After 10 years of marriage, eight kids and a popular reality show documenting the ups-and-downs of life with two sets of multiples, Jon and Kate Gosselin are officially separating. The couple made the announcement on Monday’s episode of “Jon & Kate Plus 8.” “Kate and I have decided to separate,” Jon said during Monday’s broadcast. “It’s just not good for our kids to be arguing in front of our kids.” “I’m not very fond of the idea, personally,” Kate said.

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New clip shows ‘Jon & Kate’ troubles

TLC released another video segment Friday from the network’s one-hour "Jon & Kate Plus 8" episode scheduled to air Monday night. The scene focuses on “crooked houses” — outdoor mini-houses that the Gosselins are putting on their property that kids get to design — and Jon and Kate’s disagreement as to where they should be placed. After briefly showing the excited siblings playing in the houses, the scene gets right to the subject of the couple’s troubled marriage

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Paris air show takes flight amid grim economic skies

Tail-diving passenger numbers, the long-delayed debut of a new jet and the ghost of Air France flight 447 haunts this week’s Paris Air Show. One of the commercial aerospace industry’s most prestigious events, the biennial show is celebrating its 100th anniversary with the industry facing grim economic numbers and the aftermath of the transatlantic crash of a Paris-bound Airbus A330 that killed 228 passengers and crew on May 31. The air show comes at a time when the commercial airline industry is facing its worst crisis in years.

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